Steve Tilley, QMI Agency

From indie comic book oddities to Saturday morning sensations to the stars of this week’s controversial cinematic reboot, it’s been a long, strange trip for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

As fans old and new brace for Friday’s release of the Michael Bay-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, starring a foursome of computer-generated heroes working alongside the only slightly less artificial Megan Fox, here’s a timeline of the many forms the tenacious terrapins have taken over the decades.

1984

Comic book creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird come up with the idea of four humanoid turtles trained in the art of ninjutsu and named after Renaissance artists Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello and Leonardo. Meant as a parody of popular comic book heroes of the time (particularly Frank Miller’s Daredevil), a black-and-white Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles graphic novel is born.

The turtles in comic form, created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

1987

As the comics gain popularity, a five-episode Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated miniseries airs for the first time on TV. When it later debuts in the U.K., Ireland and Germany, the series is re-titled Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, and much of the weapon-based violence is edited out.

1988

Turtlemania begins in earnest as Playmate Toys releases the first line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, while the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon begins what will ultimately be a 10-season run on Saturday morning television.

Popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures.

1989

Konami releases the quarter-gobbling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, the first of many video games based on the turtles’ exploits.

1990

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the first live-action movie starring the reptilian crime-fighters, opens in theatres. The turtle costumes are created by Jim Henson’s Creature Workshop, and the cast includes former child star Corey Feldman as the voice of Donatello and Judith Hoag as reporter April O’Neil.

1991

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze opens in theatres. The movie is a box office success, although it makes less money (and receives more negative reviews) than the first instalment. A second live-action sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, comes out in 1993.

1997

The live-action series Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation premieres on the Fox Kids network, produced by the same company behind the North American version of the Power Rangers.

It lasts for just one season.

2001

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 4, the most recent incarnation of the ongoing comic book series, debuts. It chronicles the turtles in their early 30s, living freely among society, and corrects the sometimes inconsistent spelling of Michelangelo’s name.

2003

A new animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series premieres on Fox. Four seasons run from 2003 until 2005, and another three seasons from 2008 until 2009.

2007

The computer-animated feature film TMNT opens in theatres, picking up from where the ’90s live-action film trilogy left off. Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) voices April O’Neil.

2012

The computer-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series debuts on Nickelodeon, seen in Canada on YTV. A fourth season of the show is currently in production.

2014

The live-action reboot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles opens in theatres, produced by Michael Bay (Transformers) and directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles). Bay initially says the turtles will be aliens rather than mutants, causing an uproar among fans, but later relents.